A DEVOTED wife who found the body of her husband in their Hampshire home was so heartbroken she may have ‘given up’ her will to live, lay down and died next to him, an inquest was told.

The bodies of retired bank manager Raymond Shepherd, 76, and his wife Paula Shepherd, 70, were found lying next to each other on their bedroom floor almost three weeks after anyone last saw them.

Then police were called to the house after an estate agent raised the alarm, they discovered bloodstains in the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom of their bungalow home.

The found the body of Mr Shepherd, which had badly decayed, was partially covered with a duvet while Mrs Shepherd was lying next to him on the floor in her night dress.

A coroner today said housewife Mrs Shepherd’s world had ‘collapsed’ after seeing her husband’s body, adding: “She couldn’t see a future without him.”

The couple, who were married for over 40 years and regularly went on cruises abroad, had a history of ill health, Portsmouth Coroner’s Court, heard.

The last people to see them alive were paramedics in March last year when they were called after Mr Shepherd, who used a mobility scooter, fell at home in Locks Heath.

Their bodies were eventually discovered when estate agent Suzanne Ashman, who was handling the sale of their home, raised the alarm on April 7 - 20 days later.

She told the inquest the Shepherds had failed to answer any correspondence over the sale of their home, which was due to go ahead a week earlier.

Mr Shepherd’s daughter Alison White also visited their home on Easter Sunday during that time because it was ‘unusual’ for her father and stepmother not to give her children an Easter egg.

But because the couple were so well travelled and often went on cruises ‘at the drop of a hat’, no one suspected the tragic events which ultimately unfolded.

Mrs Ashman, of Beals Estate Agents, said when she arrived at their home on April 7 to check on their welfare, there was no sign of life but that she noticed a smell when she opened the front door but didn't go any further and contacted the authorities.

She said: “I walked down the side of the property and there was a small window open. I was walking when I hit a smell, a whiff, of something not very nice.

“I was hoping it was drains so I went back to the front of the bungalow, I unlocked the door and I went into the porch.

“There were a few bits of post on the floor so I put them on a chair in the porch.

It was really dark in there. The smell hit me and I didn’t go over the threshold. It looked like there were blood stains in between the bedroom and bathroom.

“I said to my colleague, who said we should go further, that it could be a crime scene.”

Hampshire Constabulary’s major crime team determined there were no suspicious circumstances. Evidence was heard Mr Shepherd had a number of health issues and Mrs Shepherd suffered from epilepsy.

The inquest heard 5ft 7in Mr Shepherd was diabetic, suffered from gout and arthritis, had a pacemaker fitted and was confined to a wheelchair.

He had a knee and hip replacement but his GP said he would be unlikely to survive any future operations under general anaesthetic.

Meanwhile Mrs Shepherd, who was about 5ft 4in, was diagnosed with epilepsy and had recently suffered a seizure before her death.

Dr Basil Purdue, a consultant pathologist, said attributing a cause of death was difficult because of the extent of decay to their bodies but was able to determine Mrs Shepherd died ‘some time after’ Mr Shepherd.

He said: “Mr Shepherd was partly covered by a duvet alongside the bed, near the door to the room and Mrs Shepherd was lying rather nearer the door close to it.”

An autopsy showed his arteries had narrowed and that it was a ‘strong likelihood’ he died from natural causes.

The inquest heard there was nothing to suggest he was attacked and Pathologist Dr Basil Purdue concluded his body had lain there for two to three weeks.

He continued “It seems certain she survived him by quite a number of days.

“The placing of a duvet may suggest some attempt on her behalf of covering him up.

“It isn’t clear why she didn’t summon help, but the imminent house move and the sudden realisation of losing her partner may have rendered her seriously confused which would account for her actions.”

He said: “It may be she despaired and chose to lay by her husband, having a final seizure, and she may have given up the will to live.

“But I don’t want to speculate too far. The circumstances were very distressing for her and that stress may have been enough to precipitate a seizure that ultimately proved fatal.”

Her step-daughter Alison agreed his assessment was ‘quite possible’, adding: “She always took the back seat and dad was her anchor.”

Concluding the couple died from natural causes senior coroner David Horsley said: “Your father has had an episode, perhaps linked to his heart disease and has died.

“Your step mother saw him as the anchor and I think she’s sadly gone to pieces. It’s a strong possibility to me that she’s given up.

“Her world had collapsed totally without him. They had been together a long time and I think she couldn’t see a future without him.

“I’m satisfied her death, like his, is due to natural causes. We can’t imagine what went on in the time between the deaths and it’s such a tragedy.”

He concluded they died from natural causes.